Mayor sacks aide over child porn charges

Walsh: Mayoral appointee of the London Fire Brigade; photo: london-fire.gov.uk/

Boris Johnson has sacked one of his aides after it emerged yesterday that he had been charged with a serious child pornography offence.

Simon Walsh, a barrister from the London fire authority – the cross-party body that controls the London fire brigade – was dismissed after the severity of the charges was realised.

According to Scotland Yard, Walsh is facing two charges: one of possessing an extreme pornographic image which was likely to have resulted in serious injury, and another of making an indecent photograph of a child on a computer, without the child present. Sources said that the Mayor had been concerned at Walsh’s apparent failure to reveal the extent of the charges.

Walsh, 49, of Southwark, is due to reappear at Uxbridge magistrates’ court on November 7, where the case is due to be committed to crown court. He denies the charges.